Kenneally ’90 named new women’s hockey head coach

Current executive associate director of athletics called upon after Bruno’s rough season

Robert Kenneally ’90, who has worked in Brown athletics for over 20 years, played ice hockey for Brown as an undergraduate during the late 80s.

Robert Kenneally ’90, executive associate director of athletics, was named the head coach of the women’s hockey team Wednesday. His appointment concludes a nationwide search for the successor of Amy Bourbeau, who stepped down following a season in which Brown went 5-23-1 and an abysmal 2-19-1 in the ECAC.

“I am honored to be selected to head the women’s ice hockey team at Brown and look forward to returning the program to a national level of success that our women’s ice hockey program has experienced,” Kenneally said in a Brown Athletics press release.

Kenneally “has been a valuable member of the Brown Athletic Department for over 20 years, and I’m pleased that he has accepted the head women’s ice hockey coach position at Brown,” said Athletic Director Jack Hayes in the press release. “His background in coaching and extensive hockey experience makes him a natural choice to lead this program,” Hayes said.

Kenneally has been a jack of all trades for the Athletic Department, taking on several roles for a variety of teams. He has served as the supervisor for Brown football, baseball, women’s basketball, gymnastics, men’s ice hockey and men’s soccer. He also led the men’s and women’s golf teams as head coach from 1998-2002.

His specialty has always been hockey — he has served on ECAC hockey committees and currently serves as a committee member for College Hockey, Inc.

As an undergraduate at Brown, Kenneally had a stellar career on the men’s hockey team, leading the team in scoring in the 1987-88 season. He was honored with the Charles A. Lanigan Memorial Trophy, an award given to the senior who best exemplifies improvement and leadership throughout his career.

Kenneally has his work cut out for him — Brown has not won double-digit games since 2006-07, when it finished the season 10-17-2. Despite the poor record, last year’s team showed a lot of promise. Sam Donovan ’18 led the team in goals in her first year for Brown, while Monica Elvin ’17 had a .904 save percentage. Unfortunately for Kenneally and the Bears moving forward, three of the team’s top four point scorers will graduate this year.

Elvin said she looks forward to Kenneally’s leadership. “We were able to meet with coach Kenneally (Wednesday) as a team, and I am very encouraged by what he had to say about what he will bring to this program,” she said.“I believe coach Kenneally to be very driven, and I am confident that his demeanor will influence our team atmosphere,” she added.

“My intricate knowledge of admission, financial aid and the Brown curriculum, along with my experience overseeing the men’s ice hockey program for 20 years and extreme passion to coach, have prepared me to be a successful head coach in the ECAC and Ivy League,” Kenneally said in the press release.

“We have not had much interaction with coach Kenneally thus far, but the consensus on the team seems to me to be very positive and excited about the upcoming season with coach,” Elvin said. “We are always looking to improve, individually and as a unit.”

Congrats to Brown Women’s Hockey on selecting someone who knows the sport, knows Brown athletics, knows the university, and is a local resident and committed alum for decades. He will raise the standard no doubt.
Please, folks, go to the games and lend the team and new coaching staff your support !!! The rebuilding can’t happen overnight, but they need you !!